Middle East crisis Gaza war

Rage at Netanyahu: “Cannot continue another minute”

Israeli opposition politicians are sharply criticizing the country’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu after reports that he ignored warnings before the Hamas terror attack on October 7, AFP reports.

The criticism comes as Israel prepares to go to the polls. Gadi Eisenkot is identified as Netanyahu’s main challenger in the October 27 election:

“Netanyahu received dozens of warnings before October 7 and ignored them all. He is unfit,” Eisenkot wrote on X.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who is also running in the election, also writes that Israel’s leader bears “personal and direct responsibility” for the deaths on October 7.

– Netanyahu cannot continue to serve in his post even for another minute, says Bennett.

In opinion polls, Netanyahu's Likud party is trailing, and he has tried to get a far-right alliance to stay in power, writes the Financial Times.

Fact: Netanyahu was warned about October 7 a week in advance

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was warned of a Hamas terror attack a week before October 7, 2023 – but ignored the alarm. This is revealed by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval in a new investigative book.

According to the information, it was Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed who gave Netanyahu a sharp warning about the attack in a 45-minute phone call. In it, bin Zayed is said to have said that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was planning a major "operation" against Israel.

Netanyahu is said to have taken no action after the call and did not inform his security chiefs.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirms that the phone call took place. Netanyahu's staff strongly denies the information and calls the entire review a "pure lie".

Sources: Hamas ready to release hostages immediately – Israel refused to negotiate

As early as the evening of October 7, the same day as Hamas's terrorist attack on Israel, the terrorist organization was ready to release all 251 hostages without compensation. But Israel refused. This is stated by Israeli defense sources in a new book by journalists Shlomi Eldar and Ruth Yuval.

Qatar's prime minister is said to have called Mossad chief David Barnea that evening and stated that Hamas was ready to negotiate and that Qatar wanted to mediate. Barnea then replied that Israel was not prepared to talk to Hamas.

The review shows that similar signals reached several within the Israeli government and that several parties pressed for negotiations.

A high-ranking Israeli defense source confirms that the proposals reached Mossad, the Israeli security agency Shin Bet and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

– Could the proposal have been properly discussed and a decision made? In essence, the answer is yes. But the prevailing atmosphere was like after Pearl Harbor, says the source.